Are there any perks to donating blood during the holiday season?
A couple blood centers are offering incentives for area donors during the challenging winter season.
From Nov. 14 through Jan. 15, blood donors who visit an ImpactLife location will get a voucher for an electronic gift card of their choice or a donation to Feeding America, a charity that supports food banks.
The “Good Giving” promotion starts at $10 per donation, but rises to $20 during the most critical weeks for blood supply, namely around Thanksgiving (Nov. 21 through Nov. 27), through Christmas and New Year’s (Dec. 19 through Jan. 15).
“We can’t afford to say ‘we’ll have a bad week because it’s the week of Thanksgiving,’ or ‘Christmas and New Year’s isn’t going to do very well, we’ll get caught up,’” said ImpactLife spokesman Kirby Winn. “Blood is used every day at the hospital, the hospital never closes.”
Donors can bump their benefit up to a $25 gift card voucher or donation by participating in a lengthier automated procedure, by making platelets, plasma, or double red cell donations.
Blood donations routinely drop during holiday weeks, including Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July celebrations.
“We always have in mind that it’s blood already on the shelves every day that makes the greatest difference,” Winn said. “If we’re responding only after a crisis, it’s too late.”
The American Red Cross is offering $10 gift cards to donors who give blood from Nov. 28 to Dec. 15.
Three donation opportunities will pop up in Urbana in the next couple weeks.
— Nov. 29, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Newmark Civil Engineering Lab, 205 N Mathews Ave.
— Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Illini Union, 1401 West Green St.
— Dec. 9, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.: Urbana Rising Hope Church, 408 E. Illinois St.
